The answer is here to your organization stress. You can stop searching Google and YouTube!
Books can pile up fast. There’s actually a term for people who own many books that they do not read; “tsundoks” is a Japanese word that refers to those who own a lot of unread books. “Biblomania” is a term referring to the love of owning books.
“...it could be an obsession, expression of hoarding or even an addiction... For example, people who love buying jewellery, but never actually wear it. It is an unchecked self-concept, or an obsessive compulsive disorder.”
- Christina Burmeister, a Dubai-based clinical counsellor told Gulf News. (1)
Even if you aren’t a bibliomaniac or tsundok, you probably have at least a small collection of books.
Are your books and eye sore?
Do they look like this?
It might be time to organize your books. They don’t need to be an eye sore. Your books could lend to the decor in your home like this:
(Don’t mind the photo bombing mop handle. I’m in the process of unpacking).
That book shelf is still in development so it looks a little unpolished. Regardless, you can see what I’m trying to represent.
Here are my tips to make your book shelf a beautiful focal point in your home:
- Group in colours: I like to put blues near reds (include orange, pink, and maybe purple with red. They are family tones) because blue and red are complimentary to one another.
- Mix colour a bit to connect each section: notice in the above photo that I added two red books to the black mix- that pulls the red group on the left into the black on the right, creating balance. Black and red are also a very sharp combination. By only mixing the two powerful reds, not too much, it allows the book shelf to maintain a homey, warm ambiance yet also brilliantly standing out.
The silver book has black and red print, bringing together the reds and black and producing a radiant pop.
The blue shelf has that glass blown bulb (a gift from a friend). Look closely and you will see that the glass is speckled black. Again, the blue and black decor visually connect the shelf below.
Beside the black and under the reds, I decided to display white books. As you can see from the photo, I have less white literature than other colours, so I’ve added a few brown and golds to the mix. I was pleased with the accidental contrast of gold and silver situated opposite of the other.
- Empty space is GOOD: Book fanatics might have a hard time with this truth. If you are like me, that image of a massive den filled with books upon books has been a life long dream. Trust me when I tell you that the over crowded home library is nicer in movies.
Over crowding your shelf could be unhealthy. Yes, unhealthy. Lack of air flow becomes a breading ground for dusts filled with bacteria 🦠. Out of sight, out of mind is very real when it comes to overcrowded shelves. What about bugs? No home, no home is free of bugs, and if you know your bugs you know that you actually want some species in your home. You don’t want them all. Shelves prevent light and airflow are just little habits for little critters.
In addition to healthy and cleanly reasons, empty space gives a sense of calm, communicates “organized”, and lends room for decor that isn’t just literature.
- Add Decor: Adding practical decor helps decrease clutter in your home.
Including something that reminds you of those in your life gives your bookshelf and home character. The Buddha trinket in the above photo was an item that my Mother gave me and was originally my Grandmothers. The clock is set to the time that my daughter was born (I don’t have batteries in it). The black poofy item is a microphone for creating podcasts (on my to-do list), so the self acts as a storage space. And, as previously stated, the blown glass was a gift from a friend.
Be sure to colour coordinate the decor to match your books. This maintains your beautiful presentation while adding practicality to your bookshelf.
Don’t add too many trinkets to your shelf because they will collect dust. Why create added work to your already long list?
As you can see, a bookshelf can be an eyesore chore or a beautiful focal point in your home. A little organization will change your life.
Now go organize!
Thank you for reading my post.
All written content, unless otherwise noted, is copyright 2021 Ana Clark - Ana from Canada.
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Photo Credits and Sources:
Photo of books with girl in window: Thanks to Jonathan Borba @jonathanborba for making this photo available freely on Unsplash 🎁https://unsplash.com/photos/JNMqGI8a6cU
Photo of organized book shelf:
Copyright 2021 Ana Clark
Baretto, J. (2001, May 5th). Why Are So Many People Buying Books and Not Reading? https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/books/why-are-so-many-people-buying-books-and-not-reading-1.62186435
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These are great tips! I myself struggle with creative designs in decorating. My books would be the unsightly ones haha.